Garment hangers



Nov 24 1959 L. H. ZEUTHEN 2,914,228

GARMENT HANGERS Filed Oct. 5, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

Leon H. ZEU'l'I-IEN ATTORNEY L. H. ZEUTHEN GARMENT HANGERS 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 5, 1957 FIG. l6

FIG. l5

INVENTOR. Leon H. ZEUTI-IEN A'LTORNEY- United States Patent 6 GARMENTHANGERS Leon H. Zeuthen, Minneapolis, Minn. Application October 3, 1957,Serial No. 687,967 Claims. (Cl. 223-95) This invention relates broadlyto garment hangers, and, more particularly, to garment hangers forindividually suspending mens trousers, womens skirts and skirt andblouse or sweater combinations.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a garment hangerfor trousers, skirts and jacket, skirt, blouse or sweater combinationswhereby said garments are held suspended from their respective cuffs orwaist bands in a manner that will preserve the pressed condition of saidgarments. 7

Another object of this invention is to provide a garment hanger of thetype described that is relatively,

simple and inexpensive tofabricate from spring steel wire and thereafterheat treated to preserve the shape of said hanger and eliminate thetendency to take a set so commonly found in competitive merchandise ofthis class.

A further object of this invention is to provide a garment hanger of thetype described that is capable of being compacted, insofar as itsoverall dimensions are concerned, to facilitate packaging thereof and,conversely, assembled for use without the aid of tools.

A further object of this invention is to provide a garment hanger of theclass described wherein the supporting members thereof actindependently, the one of the other, to adjust said members to variedwidths and sizes of the said garments automatically and without repeatedmanual adjustment if applied to the same garments.

A further object of this invention is to provide a garment hanger of thetype described wherein provision is made to support an additionalgarment such as a jacket, blouse or sweater in combination with the saidtrousers or skirts.

A still further object of this invention is to'provide a garment hangerof the type described, wherein the garments suspended therefrom aresupported in a minimum amount of space and in creased and pressedreadyto-wear condition.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a garment hangerof the type described, wherein provision is made to hold said garmentsfast on said hanger once the garment is properly applied to the hanger.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a garment hangerof the type described wherein skirts and trousers are held suspendedtherefrom by frictional engagement of the hanger and the garment.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a garment hanger,particular reference being made to a trouser hanger of the typedescribed, wherein said trouser, with or Without upturned cuffs, is heldsuspended at its lower end or culf portion, at the crease from withinthe leg portion of saidtrouser rather than from within the upturned cuffportion, each leg of said trouser and being individually so supported.

These and other objects of this invention will become apparent from thefollowing specification and claims 2,914,228 Patented Nov. 24, 1959 ICCFig. 1 is a side elevational view of the trouser hanger,

its supporting hook shown in downturned position by means of dottedlines;

Fig. 2 is an end elevational view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan view, on an enlarged scale, of thestructure shown in Figs. 1 and 2 illustrating the connections betweenthe supporting hook and the trouser supporting members;

Figs. 4 and 5 are fragmentary detailed views showing a modification ofthe elements shown in Fig. 3, in top plan and side elevation,respectively;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary detailed view of a spacer member which spacesthe trouser supporting elements, the one from the other, on an enlargedscale;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary detail view of another modification of theconnections between the supporting hook and the trouser supportingelements also on an enlarged scale;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary top plan view of the same and also on anenlarged scale;

Fig. 9 is a full elevational view of still another modification of theconnection between the supporting hook and the trouser supportingelements, said supporting" hook being shown in its downturned positionby means of dotted lines;

Fig. 10 is an end elevational view of the same;

Figs. 11 and 12 are top and side elevational frag mentary detailed viewsof the structure shown in Figs. 9 and 10 which illustrate, respectively,the connection between the supporting hook and the trouser supportingelements;

Fig. 13 is a fragmentary detailed view on an enlarged scale showing astill further modification of the con: nection between the supportinghook and the garment supporting member comprising a single element;

Fig. 14 is a fragmentary detail sectional view of the structure shown inFig. 13, taken on the line 1414 of Fig. 13;

Fig. 15 is a fragmentary view of one form of the invention applied to afragmentary trouser leg and cuff, the released expanded position of thetrouser hanger being shown by means of dotted lines; and' Fig. 16 is aview similar to Fig. 1 5, except that a skirt the same in a garment andthence allowed 'to expand within the restriction imposed by thegarmennsaid gar-' ment will be frictionally held. supported or suspendedtherefrom.

It is also desired to note herein that while, for the purpose of thisapplication, the invention will be de, scribed as being fabricated oftempered spring steel wire, the invention has been successfully producedfrom synthetic plastic rnaterials and it is not intended that anyreference to tempered spring steel wire shall in any way scopecfi beconstrued to impose any limitation on the the appended claims.

Referring now to that form of note the invention shown" in Figs. 1, 2,3, 4, s and 6, the numeral 17 indicates a pair of identical temperedspring steel garment supporting members dimensioned and designed toengage at the crease, the inside of the cuffs of a pair of trousers whenthe said members are manually compressed and fitted, one into each ofsaid cuffs and thence permitted, by relaxing the tension, to expandWithin the restrictions imposed by said cuffs. As stated, these members17 are identical except that it will be understood that in assembledrelation, one of said members will appear to be slightly longer or viceversa, due to the overlying arrangement of said members at their centralportions, as will be presently described. Manufacturing proceduresdictate that these members 17 should be identical and the slightdifference in length at the outer end portion has not been found to bedetrimental in any way to the successful operation of the invention.

These tempered spring steel members 17 are each formed of a single pieceof spring steel wire having an angular central section 18 in the form ofan inverted U, the upper or closed end portion 19 being bent at 90 totheside members 20 of the central section 18. It is important to notethat to achieve greater lateral movement when placed under tension,these members 20 are normally in outwardly diverging relation to theirlower end portions and are thence bent again outwardly in substantiallya true horizontal plane, see numeral 21. The outer end portions thereofare then again bent in downwardly and outwardly diverging relation toform the garment-engaging portion 22. These garment engaging members 22are coated, as indicated by the numeral 23, with any of the commerciallyavailable materials suitable for this purpose.

Formed in the upper end of each of the angular U- shaped centralsections 18 is a small outwardly projected hump 24 that is provided tofacilitate a better grip or purchase of the hand or fingers and toprevent the upward slipping movement thereof when the members 17 arebeing manually compressed to insert the hanger in the trouser cuffs.Similar humps or protrusions are formed in the central longitudinalportion of each of the horizontally disposed sections 21 to enhance theinherent stiffness or rigidity of said members. Said protrusions alsoaffording means to facilitate the suspending of garments having shoulderstraps to prevent said straps from slipping outwardly and downwardly andof engagement with the outer end portions of the sections 21. It isimportant to note from the assembly standpoint that the central U-shapedsection 18 at the bend 19 in its upper end portion is constricted atsaid bend 19, see numeral 26, for a purpose that will presently bedescribed.

A supporting hook 27 provides the primary means for assembling themembers 17. This hook 27 is also formed of tempered spring steelterminated at its lower end portion to form an annular ring 28, theextreme outer end of which very slightly overlies, see numeral 30, theshank portion of said hook member 27. This structure is particularlywell illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3.

The members 17 and the supporting hook 27 are assembled into a singleunit by placing said members 17 in lateral alignment with the exceptionof the upper end portion 19 of the central inverted U-shaped section 18which overlie one another. The annular ring 28 is sprung open at itsouter end portion 29 and into engagement with one side of theconstricted portion of the upper end portion 19 of the central U section18 and thence rotated about the transverse axis of the assembledsections 17 until the end portion thereof 29 engages the opposite sideof the constricted portion 19. The annular ring 28 having a slightlysmaller interal diameter than the width of the opposed sides of theconstricted portion 19 tends to hold the components 17 and 27 inrelatively tight assembled relation, as shown in 1, 2 and 3. It is alsohighly important'to note 4 that this method of assembly permits thesupporting hook 27 to rotate a full 360 about the transverse axis of theassembled unit and thus permit said hook to be rotated axially into adownturned position between the members 17, as shown by dotted lines inFig. 1. A pair of spacer links 30 are afiixed to the outer end portionsof each of the horizontally disposed sections 21 of the members 20 andhold the outer end portions of said members in laterally spaced relationparticularly for the purpose of facilitating the applying of the hangerto a garment. These spacer links 30 are so fabricated that one endportion thereof engages one of the sections 21 with a tight fit, whilethe other end thereof engages the opposing section 21 with a relativelyloose working fit, see Fig. 6, said arrangement being transposed atopposite ends of the members 17 to thus equalize tension on theassembled alignment of the said members 17 and facilitate independentmovement thereof.

As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, assembly of the spring steel members 17 isaccomplished by eliminating the angular bend 19 in the upper closed endportion of the central inverted U-shaped section 18. A combined spacerand clamping member 31 is also formed of spring steel wire that furtherserves as a mounting station for the supporting hook 27. This spacer andclamping member 31, as shown, is in the form of a clip having an' openend 32 and a closed end 33 and the central longitudinal portion thereof34 is constricted to substantially the same dimension as the internaldiameter of the annular ring 28 of the supporting hook 27, thusaffording the said hook mounting station and allowing the hook member 27to rotate a full 360 about the longitudinal axis of the spacer andclamping link 31.

Figs. 9 and 10 illustrate a still further embodiment of the structureshown in Figs. 4 and 5 and differ therefrom only in that its centralU-shaped section 18 at its extreme upper end portion 19' is in the formof an annular ring instead of the angular form, as illustrated in Figs.4 and 5. Spacer link 30' is also obviously of the same shape and size aslink 31.

Figs. 11 and 1?. illustrate the use of the annular ring shape 19' in thesame manner as described in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, wherein in the former, theupper end portion 19 of the central U-shaped section 18 is fabricatedwith an angular upper end portion. As shown in Figs. 11 and 12, only asingle garment supporting member 17' is used as would be the case in ahanger for skirts. It will be understood that spacer links 30' identical'with links 30, are applied in the same manner as described in Figs. 1,2 and 6.

A simple and still further modification for connecting the temperedspring steel garment supporting elements is shown in Figs. 7 and 8. Inthis modification, the hanger is specifically designed to support a pairof trousers and comprises a pair of tempered spring steel supportingelements 35. These elements 35 are fabricated with an inverted U-shapedcentral section (not shown) that is similar to the section 18 with theexception that the upper or closed end thereof is relatively wide and ina horizontal plane that is substantially parallel to the wide horizontaloutwardly extended portion of the elements 35. This wide upper endportion of the central U section affords a mounting station for thesupporting hook 36 that is angularly bent as shown in Figs. 7 and 8 tohold the elements 35 and the supporting hook 36 in assembled relation bymeans of a tempered steel spring clip 37. The shank of the supportinghook 36 is transversely oflset, as indicated by the numeral 38, topermit said hook to be axially rotated in one direction only, about thelongitudinal axis of the closed upper end portion of the centralU-shaped section of the elements 35. The supporting hook 36 is furtherprovided with a honzontally disposed shank 39 which, in assembledrelation,

' lies above and between the assembled elements 35. The

end portion of the horizontal section 39 of the hook 36 is also offsetto prevent the hook from endwise movement relative to the clip 37.

Figs. 13 and 14 illustrate substantially the same structure as shown anddescribed relative to Figs. 7 and 8, with the exception that a singlegarment supporting element is shown, and while it would be possible tofabricate the shank end portion of the hook member to permit it to beturned downwardly for storage and packaging, this has not been done inthe interest of producing a very inexpensive version of the device.

While there are herein disclosed but a limited number of embodiments ofthe structure, process and product of the invention herein presented, itis possible to produce still other embodiments without departing fromthe inventive concept herein disclosed, and it is desired, therefore,that only such limitations be imposed on the appended claims as arestated herein or required by the prior art.

What I claim is:

1. A garment hanger of the type described comprising in combination asupporting hook having a shank terminating in an annular ring, a pair ofgarment supporting members mounted in parallel arrangement, said memberseach having an upstanding inverted U-shaped section centrally disposedbetween a pair of opposed outwardly extended arms, said arms beingdownturned at their outer end portions to afiord opposed pairs ofgarment engaging members, said upstanding inverted U- shaped sections,at their upper end portions, being bent substantially at right angles tothe vertical plane of the said members and held assembled with said bentupper end portions overlying one another and being constricted at eachtransverse center thereof to afford a mounting station for the annularring of the said supporting hook to thus hold assembled the said garmentsupporting members at their upper end portions by engagement of theannular ring of the supporting hook with the constricted portion of saidbent upper end portions of said inverted U-shaped members, and spacermeans mounted on the outer end portions of the outwardly extended armsto thus hold said outwardly extended arms spaced apart.

2. A garment hanger of the type described comprising, in combination, atempered spring steel supporting 4 hook having a shank terminating in anannular ring of a single convolution, the outer end of which intersectsthe shank proper, a pair of garment supporting members each formed of asingle piece of tempered spring steel wire and mounted in parallelarrangement, an upstanding inverted U-shaped section centrally disposedbetween a pair of horizontally disposed outstanding arms in each of saidgarment supporting members, said arms being downwardly and outwardlyprojected at their outer end portions to afford two pairs of opposedgarment engaging members in the form of prongs, said upstanding invertedU-shaped sections at their closed upper end portions being inwardly bentsubstantially at right angles, as assembled, to the vertical plane ofsaid garment supporting members, said bent portions overlying oneanother in assembled relation and being constricted at the transversecenter of each thereof to afford a mounting station for the annular ringof the said supporting book which is wound by turning the same intoengagement with the said overlying bent section, thus holding the upperend portions of said garment supporting members in assembledarrangement, said supporting hook being free to swing laterally aboutthe transverse axis of its mounting station downwardly into the opencentrally disposed U-shaped section, and a pair of spacer linksconnecting and spacing the outer end portion of the pairs of outwardlyextended arms to facilitate the applying of the hanger to the cuffs of apair of trousers, one of said prongs to each crease point of each ofsaid cufis.

3. The structure defined in claim 2, wherein the said spacer links areattached with a tight fit at opposite ends of the opposed garmentsupporting members, and with a relatively loose fit at the opposite endsthereof to thus maintain alignment of said garment supporting members.

4. The structure defined in claim 2, further including a pair offinger-engaging stops adjacent the upper end portion of the centralU-shaped portion of each of said garment supporting members tofacilitate manual compression of said members when applying the same toa garment.

5. The structure defined in claim 2, further including a pair ofrelatively small bosses in the upper longitudinal edge of each of saidoutwardly extended arms at the outer end portions thereof to thus affordstops for the straps of a garment suspended on said arms.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS445,099 Traut Ian. 20, 1891 800,518 Wardwell Sept. 26, 1905 1,871,600Fuller Aug. 16, 1932 2,261,819 Zeuthen Nov. 4, 1941

